


And the light, although familiar, was only mine on loan

by TylrLoki



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Darth Maul Has His Lower Half, Eldritch Anakin Skywalker, Gen, Never Jedi Anakin, No Beta We Die Like Clones, POV Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn Lives, mostly concept
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylrLoki/pseuds/TylrLoki
Summary: Obi-Wan is sent to investigate a disturbance, and digs up a (very different) chosen one in the process.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63





	And the light, although familiar, was only mine on loan

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still alive, but I admit, I'm not the happiest with this one. It turned out a lot tougher than expected.  
> Enjoy

For all of Obi-Wan’s missions, this one could easily be the strangest. 

He and his master, and more recently, his padawan Ahsoka, were the council’s staunch favorites for unusual negotiations, and the people of Had Abbadon certainly qualified. This time, however, with Qui-Gon once again on Cato Nemodia, and delicate work ahead of him, Obi-Wan went alone.

These people believed in the Force, yet consistently rejected any contact from the Jedi. Their world had a unique connection to the Force, some believed it was one of the founding worlds of the Jedi, of the same era as Tython, and the many temples that dotted the lush surface seemed to support the theory. The natives, largely human and humanoid species, never turned their multitudes of Force-sensitives over to the temple, instead, they kept them as priests, to aid in their search for ‘The One’, a mythological figure that paralleled both The Chosen One and the Mortis gods. The order had long kept tabs on the world, particularly after their searchers withdrew from the wider galaxy, barely a month before the blockade of Naboo. At the time, the Council had chalked it up to the emergence of the dark side, especially since it lacked an obvious source. But now, with a galaxy-wide disturbance, originating somewhere in the Deep Core, someone had to investigate.

Privately, Obi-Wan hoped they had found the Chosen One. Although the Council hoped to find them first, if this unaligned culture beat them to it, it would be better than if the Sith did. Whether or not the Sith had returned was hotly contested on Coruscant, but even without concrete proof, Obi-Wan believed it. Ever since the near-disastrous invasion of Naboo, which put Chancellor Palpatine in office and made him a knight, he had been plagued with visions. 

Some of the visions included a tattooed Zabrak, wielding a double-bladed red lightsaber, others of millions of identical men, but almost always of a young man. The visions never provided a name, just a blinding Force-presence, and often an overwhelming sense of something lost. Sometimes he had a short, teenage Padawan braid and sharp wit, sometimes unfamiliar armor, emblazoned with the Jedi insignia, and once, a single, silent image of him staring up, in front of a lava river, with vicious hatred in gold eyes.

When he woke from the last one, it left him with a deep, lingering sadness. Obi-Wan had spoken to Master Yoda about the visions, but even he struggled to explain it. Since, at least so far, none of the visions had come true, and he hadn’t had one in a long time, he stopped bringing it up.

Obi-Wan set his ship down in a grassy clearing, between the ancient city and the forests, per lack of any true landing pad. Before he stepped out, he could see a lone man approaching the ship. Outside, dace to face with him, Obi-Wan could more clearly tell he was one of the famed priests. After a short bow, he said, “Jedi, if you have again come for our younglings, our answer stands.”   
  


He shook his head, “I’m here about the disturbance in the area.”

“Ah, you must seek The One.”

“They’ve been found?”   
  


The priest’s voice brightened, “Yes, years ago now. I can bring you to request an audience, but I cannot guarantee he will see you.”   
  


Obi-Wan nodded respectfully, “Thank you.”

He turned to the city, gesturing broadly with his cloaked arm, “This way, master Jedi.”   
  


The priest led him through narrow, stone streets between similar buildings, covered with vines and other flora. As far as he could see, there were no droids, or anything made of durasteel for that matter, nothing even remotely modern. Many locals stopped to stare, some in the middle of conversations, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Years of travel in Jedi robes had accustomed him to a few harmless looks. They walked toward the center of the city, and thus to the grand temple Obi-Wan had noted on his way down. It towered above the rest of the buildings, a true achievement, given how it must have been done completely by hand. 

At the base of the temple, beside a grand staircase, another priest waited, and despite his calm exterior, Obi-Wan could sense the nervous energy rolling off of him. He didn’t outwardly react to their arrival, only said, “The One will see you.”

The first priest didn’t start up the stairwell with him, which he didn’t question. From his vantage point, he could see the entire city, clear to his ship and the forests. A warm breeze tugged at his robes and ruffled his hair, surprisingly gently for the altitude. The thought had already crossed his mind, but now, the idea that Had Abbadon was settled along with Tython seemed completely wrong. The city showed no signs whatsoever of Raktan contact, and since they knew the colony was well-established before the foundation of the Republic, that left a real option of being  _ pre-Raktan _ . 

He reached a pair of heavy, stone doors at the top, as the gale-force winds threatened to throw him straight off the temple. The doors required assistance from the Force to wrestle open, and when he finally did, he could scarcely believe his eyes. Inside, the thick walls protected a small, colorful garden, and in the very center, a serene pool, straight beneath an opening in the ceiling. Despite lacking any obvious cover, no wind blew inside. On the far side of the pool, a set of fine, red sofas faced each other, with a human man and a handful of natives draped on it, or in the natives’ case, on him. Obi-Wan politely cleared his throat, “Am I interrupting?”   
  


The man flashed a smile, and said something to his admirers, per lack of a better word, in an unfamiliar language. They began to stand and leave, and he replied in a strangely dual-toned voice, “Not at all.”

Only when he stood did his Force presence truly become noticeable, and he  _ glowed _ , unlike anything Obi-Wan had ever sensed before. His presence felt like a lightsaber in his mind, blinding and hot enough to scorch, so intensely he had to tighten his shields. He bowed, and opened his mouth to introduce himself, but the man cut him off, “No need, I know who you are.” He gestured at the sofas, “We don’t get too many Jedi around here. I’m sure you know me as The One, but you can call me Anakin.”

As soon as the name left his mouth, one of the visions flashed through his mind, specifically of the duel on the lava world. His hair was much longer here, and he lacked the distinctive scar over his eye, but Obi-Wan couldn’t deny the similarity. As it dawned upon him, Anakin smiled sharply and said, “So you  _ do  _ recognize me. I have to say, I was wondering how long it’d take. Jedi aren’t always the most observant group, after all.”

For a split second, Obi-Wan considered pulling his lightsaber. “Why are you in my visions, and how did you know?”

The light caught him perfectly as he rose, illuminating hidden gold strands in his fine robes, as if he bent the very sun to his will. Anakin said, again in that captivating voice, “Simply, I know because I’ve seen them too. Obviously, I have many visions, but the ones of you, your master and padawan as well, have always been interesting.”

He paused to accept a glass from a tray, carried by a servant who might as well have appeared from thin air. “Drink?”

Obi-Wan didn’t know why he even tried to conceal his surprise. “Please.”

A glass hovered to him, without a gesture, or even a glance, from Anakin or the servant. Anakin continued, lowering himself back onto the sofa, “Anyway, in one of the closest timelines to our current one, I become your padawan and Ahsoka’s master, and kill you both eventually, but more than that, it would’ve thrown a spanner in the galaxy for  _ decades  _ after. But, thankfully for both of us, my dear priests found me first. We avoided killing each other, and Qui-Gon avoided dying to a Sith, an all-around success if you ask me.”

Obi-Wan weakly defended, “But, the Sith are extinct, for a thousand years now.”

“Oh, no they’re not. Smaller in number and more subtle, sure, but far from extinct. We’ve kept tabs on them for years.”

Obi-Wan hesitated to respond, but Anakin gave him no time, “That’s news to you, isn’t it?”   
  


He nodded, “Not entirely. The Zabrak?”

“Darth Maul. He’s one of them.”

“There are more? Who? Where are they?”

Anakin leaned back, “Well, where’s the fun in that?”   
  


“But, the Clone Wars, the Sith  _ must  _ be at the source. You must tell me.”

“I already said no.”

“Countless people are dying, and the Force is in turmoil-”

  
  


Anakin drew himself upright, the Force gathering around him in a storm of light and dark energy. If he thought him powerful before, now he was a vergence, making Master Yoda look like the least promising youngling by comparison. He said, voice low and serious, “I will not have you,  _ Jedi _ , in my temple, explain to  _ me _ , the Force. Your order thinks they own the Force if they own the records. You will not stay in its graces forever. I have no interest in your petty war of slaves and droids. For the sake of our connection in the Force alone, I will give you one hint, you should’ve gone with Satine when you had the chance.”

Then, as if he hadn’t dropped a proton bomb of a comment, he silently waved in the guide from the city. Obi-Wan bowed deeply, and followed the guide out into the setting sun.

He had one hell of a report to make.

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing comes from one line in Darth Plagueis, where Sidious deploys Maul only for Anakin, so, no Anakin, no Sith reveal. I might write a companion one-shot, just some alt clone wars for the gravy train, but who knows. 
> 
> Blessed be


End file.
